


A much-regretted Journey

by Warflower



Series: Cain´s modern murder mysteries [6]
Category: Cain Saga and Godchild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cain POV, Gen, Implied Character Death, M/M, Mentions of Child abuse (including sexual)/murder and poison, Murder Mystery, This story does not contain original characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 14:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10664655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warflower/pseuds/Warflower
Summary: Cain makes a trip to the countryside.Two promises are broken in the progress.





	A much-regretted Journey

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit is welcome as usual.  
> Thanks for reading.

The plan was solid, and it was necessary. 

Since Merry ´s last two attempts at making friends had ended rather badly, Cain had sat her down and questioned her about any friends she had before her mother´s death. 

It turned out there were a good handful.

Said handful he had invited today to surprise his sister. Riff was downstairs in the kitchen, preparing Merry ´s favourite cherry cake, meanwhile Cain impatiently awaited the guests. 

They arrived all at once. The doorbell rang, Cain went to open it and was greeted by three blond children, fidgeting nervously. 

-Merry- he called upstairs -come down, I have a surprise for you-. 

Merry came, and the second she saw her friends her face lit up. 

-Eric! – She threw herself past Cain into the arms of the taller boy. 

-Hey princess- he was only a couple of years younger than Cain, thirteen, perhaps fourteen, he easily picked her up -I missed you, too-

Next in line for hugs were the girl and the shorter boy, as they appeared to be siblings Cain concluded they´d have to be Yuna and Leroy.

After his sister had sufficiently cuddled all her friends, Cain, too, got a hug.

-Thank you- She whispered into his chest. 

He tightened his arms around her -Anytime-.

 

The cake was fantastic, nothing less to be expected from Riff. 

They sat around the fully bedecked dining room table, eating, the children were chatting among themselves, Cain listening and silently sipping his tea.

-Elsie couldn´t come? – Merry asked. 

Leroy and Yuna exchanged a glance. -She moved in with her grandfather two month ago. – Leroy explained, he seemed to be the most outspoken of the group. 

-The priest one, in the country? – 

-Yes, - Eric confirmed. -Her mom got a job in France and her dad went with her- He took another piece of cake -She is supposed to join them, once her French is good enough. –

Merry looked crestfallen. Elsie was the youngest of the group and closest in age to Merry, the possibility that they would never meet again putting a damper on the otherwise so happy afternoon. 

Cain cleared his throat -Can´t you just call her? -

-She´s always busy- Leroy complained, seemingly taking this as a personal affront.

Eric smiled -Well, at least that means she found friends. Doesn´t surprise me, she´s good with people- the last bit, he knew, was added for Cain´s benefit.

-Anyway, it isn´t the same- Leroy stated, all nodded in agreement. 

Cain sighed -Where does this grandfather live? – 

-Monkton Farleigh- Eric supplied. 

The name didn´t ring any bells, so Yuna explained -It is near Bath-

Cain nodded, he recognized Bath, even if he´d never been there himself.

-I´ll try calling and see what I can do- He assured them and went on to promise -you´ll see her again, I´ll drive out there myself if I have to-

 

Luckily, he had to drive out there himself, Elsie´s grandfather Father Robbins would only let his precious granddaughter stay with people he had met himself and declared suitable after thorough inspection.

Cain took the train out to Barth right the next Friday, they had no car and Cain could not drive anyways. Riff would stay behind to keep an eye on the household, to Cain´s immense disappointment. 

He was picked up by Father Robbins himself, a bespectacled man in his sixties, still sprouting full hair and an equally full moustache, who drove them out of the town and into the countryside to his church in Monkton Farleigh. 

-I could introduce you to Elsie in the evening, - he offered -she´s spending the afternoon playing with Linnet and the others-

Cain nodded. 

-But most of the talking you will have to do tomorrow- he continued.

Cain regarded the man -Where will I be staying? – 

-You could stay with us, but a family friend also offered his guestroom, which would be much more accommodating, the choice is yours- 

They pulled into the driveway of the little cottage behind the church. Already awaited by the family friend in question. 

-Professor Lamar- he introduced himself. He was a tall man in his early to mid-thirties, with auburn hair and a moderately expensive suit. 

Cain shook his hand -Cain Hargreaves-. 

-Hargreaves? – the man seemed intrigued -Are you by any chance related to Alexis Hargreaves? –

Cain really hoped the Professor didn´t see him stiffen. -You know my father? – He inquired instead. 

-I do indeed- the Professor was luckily oblivious to Cain´s discomfort -he was an old friend of mine, though I fear we lost contact- 

Lost contact, indeed, Cain thought, he´d had both hands full making his family and his father´s business partners believe Alexis was alive and well overseas, he hadn´t bothered with old friends. 

-It happens- Cain assured him.

-How is he? – The professor asked. 

Cain forced a smile -He´s doing great, the new country becomes him. American dream and all that… - 

The Professor laughed -You absolutely must stay with us- 

-I wouldn´t want to impose- Cain tried to deflect, although the Professor didn´t seem too bad, living with a friend of his father´s was the last thing Cain wanted to do. 

Obviously, the Professor was oblivious to his plight -I insist- 

Cain surrendered -Fine, but at least let me help with the cooking- that earned him a sceptically raised eyebrow. -It is a hobby of mine. –

It was a lie, but Lamar didn´t protest any further. If Cain was staying with strangers, he would at least make sure nobody had the opportunity to poison him. 

The priest fully agreed that it would be best if Cain were to stay with old family friends and suggested Cain get settled in and delay meeting Elsie to the next day. 

Reluctantly Cain nodded as he watched the Professor grab his bag and carry it over to his car.

 

The Professor´s house is a good deal bigger that the Robbins little cottage, the guest room is light and slightly impersonal, yet of a comfortable size. Cain thought the Professor likely brought guests from the university home, now and then. 

Thankfully the room had a lock. 

Cain settled on the bed and pulled out his phone. Time to check in at home. 

Naturally Riff was the person to call. 

-Hey, - he greeted. 

-Hey- the smile in Riff´s voice was audible -Have you settled in yet? – 

Cain smiled -Still doing so. - he let himself flop onto his back, exhaling deeply. 

-What is the matter? – Riff asked. Naturally he caught on that something was wrong.

-I´m staying with some Professor-

-And? – Riff didn´t sound impatient, Cain doubted impatience was something Riff was even capable of. 

-He´s one of his old friends- 

-Oh. – Riff fell quiet, digesting the information. -You don´t think he knew anything, do you? – 

Cain laughed, a brittle thing -I sincerely doubt it, - He heard Riff sigh in relief -I´m just really not looking forward to discussing him over dinner-

Riff didn´t answer, but Cain knew that he must have nodded in understanding. 

-Anyways, how was your day? – he changed the topic.

Of course, Riff saw right through him, but he indulged Cain nonetheless -Mostly normal- he said. 

-Your uncle was exceptionally polite- 

Cain chuckled -He probably didn´t want to give you reason to complain- 

-Probably. - Riff assented -I went to the park with Merry and Oscar, she desperately wanted some ice cream-

-In January? – Cain asked.

-In January. –

-Where was Cleo? – Cain wondered -I thought he wanted to come along. – 

-Yes, he called, apparently, he´s caught a fever, so he stayed at home- 

Cain nodded. -And you´re certain it´s just a fever? – 

He remembered all the times he had been ´sick´ as a child. Riff remembered them, too. 

-He did sound feverish- he assured Cain. 

-Good- Cain made himself smile. -I´ll better get down before Mrs. Lamar starts dinner without me. Give my love to Merry- 

-I will, and I will inform your uncle that you got there safely-

Cain grinned, -You´re the best, Riff- He pressed a kiss to the phone screen and hung up to prepare for dinner. 

 

-I´m just saying, he is a guest in our home, my home and he comes into my kitchen and supervises me, I am a good cook- Sylvia Lamar was upset, apparently, she did not buy Cain´s excuse of loving to cook and wanting to help. She felt controlled by the stranger that had invaded the space that was supposed to be hers.

Her husband tried to reassure her -I´m certain Cain is just trying to help- 

She snorted. -That boy is useless in the kitchen! He doesn´t help so much as scrutinize every move I make-

Cain winced, he had never learned to cook more than the basics, he didn´t need to, not with Riff being around. 

-Sorry- Cain said, sheepish. 

Sylvia still regarded him angrily, while the Professor was obviously trying to soothe her, he did not appear to have gotten much sleep last night. -Don´t worry about it, Cain, you´re a guest, you shouldn´t be helping at all-

-No, I really want to- 

-You want to help? - Sylvia was leaning over the table towards him -Then help, and don´t stand around behaving like you don´t trust me not to burn water-

Cain winced again. He needed to think of something. 

-You see- He forced a shy smile -I´m not good at cooking, but I really want to learn. But I can hardly ask the servants at home to teach me, can I? –

Sylvia deflated, playing insecure obviously worked. -Fine, I´ll teach you. – She fixed him with a glare -But you better pay attention and not act all high and mighty – 

Cain was just about to overenthusiastically thank her, when there was a loud pounding on the door. 

Professor Lamar rose to open the door, leading a distraught looking Father Robbins into the kitchen.

-You have not seen Elsie, have you? – The Professor asked. 

Both Cain and Sylvia shook their heads. The latter started playing with the pendant of her necklace, a nervous tick, Cain assumed. Father Robbins was wringing his hands. 

-She was gone when I went to wake her this morning- he explained. -I have no idea where she could have gone-

-You already called her friends? – Cain asked. 

-John, Alex and Linnet, all three. None of them have seen her since yesterday-

-Oh, that is horrible! - Sylvia exclaimed.

Cain frowned. -Where could she have gone too? Do you know where she usually plays with her friends? Any favourite spots? – He had often tried to run off when he was Elsie´s age. Nobody ever bothered to find him, not until Riff. 

The priest shook his head -I don´t know-

-Her friends probably will, - Professor Lamar suggested. -Let´s talk to them in person- 

Cain nodded, -If anyone would notice that something is off, it is them-

Father Robbins agreed. 

-Do we talk to all at once or do we split them up? – He asked.

-We split up, it´s faster- the Professor decided -I take Linnet, you take Alex and Cain can talk to John and Sylvia waits at the cottage in case she comes home- 

What was left of breakfast was finished in quiet hurry.

 

He was greeted and asked inside by John´s mother, who quickly hid her surprise at his age, she was a redhead approaching forty, John had not inherited her hair, his own was a dull brown. 

-Hello, I´m Cain- he took a seat at the table, opposite the boy. 

-I´m John- The boy seemed insecure.

-You´re friends with Elsie? – he probed gently.

John nodded -I only know her for a few months, though- 

-She moved here from London? – 

-Yes, she was supposed to learn French before moving to France with her parents- 

Cain smiled, he hoped it came off as encouraging -And did she learn French? – 

-With Professor Lamar, yes. – 

-He teaches French at Barth, doesn´t he? – 

-Yes, Elsie said he´s really smart-

Cain smiled, children could, indeed, tend to gush -Did she talk about him often? – 

John shook his head -She didn´t talk much-

-No? – This surprised Cain, from what Merry and her friends had described Elsie was as outgoing as a girl could be. Cain noted the discrepancy for later, and tried to concentrate for now on the questions he came here to ask.

-Did you have any secret places where you played, anywhere she would go to? – 

There were several, accompanied by John Cain checked all of them, yet of Elsie there was no trace. Under a copse of trees, they met up with father Robbins and Alex, a gingery boy about the same age as John and Elsie. Their search hadn´t proven fruitful either. 

 

Dejected they returned to the cottage, where Sylvia awaited them with tea Cain didn´t drink. Leaving Father Robbins to discuss their lack of progress with the Lamars, Cain slipped out of the back door and settled on the steps in front of it. 

He pulled out his phone. He needed to talk to Riff. 

Instead of a greeting, Riff got right to the point -Are you okay? What happened? – 

Cain sighed, some of the tension in him already easing. -I´m fine. – A beat of silence -Elsie disappeared. –

-Have you called the police? – Riff asked, practical as always. 

-Not yet, we´ll call them, if she isn´t home by early afternoon- Silence from Riff.

-When did she disappear? – 

-Last night- Cain allowed his posture to slump. -We don´t know for sure if someone took her-

-But you think so- It was not a question.

-I do, - he exhaled -It´s just that, after Rebecca, what if I´m just projecting and jumping to conclusions-

Riff´s voice was gentle -I don´t think you are. Were there any… warning signs? Anything odd about her lately? – 

-According to a friend she was very quiet and introverted, that´s the opposite of what Leroy told me-

-I see- Riff momentarily hesitated -And what do you think this could mean? – 

-You know what that could mean- He could feel himself frowning -Either she´s missing her parents, or…or she´s coping with some sort of abuse- 

Riff said nothing. He didn´t need to, given the fact that she´d disappeared Cain knew which option was the more likely.

– If it´s her grandfather she could have run away. If it´s someone else, he could have taken her. – Cain cursed, kicking the ground. -This doesn´t help us. –

-Well, at least we know that she knew her abuser, that limits the list of suspects. – 

He smiled, sadly -I guess it does, thanks Riff-

-Anytime-.

 

Cain stared at his phone, wondering if calling Cleo would cheer him up. The door behind him opened, he looked up.

-I´m going to make us some lunch, - Sylvia was leaning in the door frame -if you still want to learn, you can join me-

Cain rose, -Thanks- he murmured. 

He had to remember the learning how to cook thing, it was a fantastic excuse for watching every step a person made in preparing a meal. 

-So, is this your first time travelling alone? – Sylvia asked in an attempt to make small talk. 

-Yes, I currently live with my uncle and he is usually quite strict. But this was about Merry, so he made an exception- 

Sylvia was well in the process of chopping vegetables -Your father is still overseas? – 

-He is- Cain confirmed -I only came back a couple of month ago, when we found out about Merry- 

-In the middle of the school year? – She sounded disapproving, as she wiped down her knife. 

Cain lowered his own knife -I´ve got my A-levels already, I was home-schooled and skipped a grade. I´ll probably start university this autumn-. 

-That´s great- Sylvia seemed surprised -Do you know where you want to study? – 

-Somewhere around London- Cain decided this was as good an opening as any -Your husband teaches at Bath, doesn´t he? – He knew that already, but if the inquiry got her to talk, then inquire he would.

-He does- Sylvia was gathering the chopped vegetables for the curry. 

-He must really love his job then, teaching both the students at Bath and Elsie in his free time- 

-Yes, she´s such a sweet girl- 

Tentative Cain asked -Do you think, she would tell your husband if anything was upsetting her? – 

-Certainly- Sylvia assured -They get along fantastically. Ever since he started teaching her he´s in such a good mood-

-Is he? – Cain quirked an eyebrow.

-He even got me this for our anniversary, - She undid her necklace and held it out for Cain to see -Look. – 

It was a simple silver necklace, the pendant a small asymmetric silver heart.

-It´s beautiful- Cain confirmed, it wasn´t anything special, but hurting her feelings wouldn´t help him. 

-So, Elsie was behaving normal…- he tried to steer the conversation back on track, but did not learn anything useful after that. 

 

They gave up on waiting after lunch. Father Robbins called the police, who promised to come and take a careful look around, fill in the paperwork, ask some questions and then start to organize the search. 

As Cain was tired of waiting he returned to his guest room to skype Cleo. He knew calling would have been easier, but he needed to see for himself that what his friend suffered was really only a fever. 

Luckily Cleo was online, his face was flushed and sweaty and his eyes were unfocused, he was running a fever, alright. 

-Cain, hey- He looked miserable, yet for a moment his face lit up. 

-Hey. - Cain kept his voice gentle -How are you? – 

-I´m dizzy and tired- Cleo complained. 

-That sucks- Cain agreed. -Are you staying in bed for the day? – 

Cleo nodded and wiped some sweaty hair out of his face -I don´t think I could walk- 

-Is someone taking care of you? Should I send Riff over? - 

-You´re sweet, Cain- Cleo smiled weakly -but I´m fine. Orlando´s even making me tea. – 

As if to prove a point he picked up a teacup from the desk next to his bed and took a sip.

-Yep, - He pulled a face -At least it´s not that Berry tea this time–

Cain raised his eyebrows. -Berry tea? Not your Earl grey? - 

Cleo chuckled -Do you think my brother cares what teas I like? He makes sure I have something to drink, that´s more than enough- 

-If you´re sure- Cain really wished Cleo would allow people to help him. 

-I´m sure. – Cleo tried a reassuring smile. He failed. 

-Just make sure you better next week. -

Cleo rolled his eyes, they were glassy, pupils dilated -I won´t miss my birthday- 

-Good- Cain smiled. -I promise you´ll get well soon-

Cleo gave a short wave, before he settled back into his pillows and ended the call.

 

Surprisingly the police wanted to talk to Cain, so he returned to the Cottage. The local police had turned the study upstairs into a questioning room, so Cain settled into the stiff-backed leather chair in front of the massive oak desk. 

After the formalities were out of the way, the Detective Sergeant questioning him asked for the reason of his visit. 

-Elsie is an old friend of my sister´s. – Cain explained -I wanted to organize a meeting, but Father Robbins insisted to meet me in person, before he would let Elsie stay with my family in London. – 

She nodded -And when did you arrive? – 

-I arrived from Bath about six pm, yesterday, Elsie was still out playing with friends- Cain tried to be as helpful as possible. 

-You did not speak to her, yesterday? – The DS asked further. 

-I didn´t, her grandfather offered to introduce us, but I was getting set up at the Lamar´s house, so we postponed introductions till morning- He smirked. -Or that was the plan, at least-. 

The DS leaned over the table, it was meant to intimidate, yet when she did it, while still not effective, it looked certainly less idiotic than DC Burgess attempting the same tactic. 

-You are aware that the timing of your arrival makes you a suspect, right? – 

Cain nodded, still smirking. -I am aware of that. I am also aware of the fact that I have no discernible motive. – 

-Which doesn´t exclude you from being investigated. – She stated flatly. 

-What does exclude me however- Cain leaned forward, mirroring her pose -is the fact that since arriving her she went from an outgoing extrovert to a quiet introvert, which indicates that whatever affected her thus was around for longer than me. –

She nodded. -That would explain why she told her grandfather they needed to talk after mass on Sunday. – 

-Can I go? – Cain asked. 

-You can- she confirmed. -Would you be so kind to send Mrs. Lamar up? –

Cain slipped down the stairs and discreetly escorted Sylvia back up. After she disappeared into the study to be questioned he decided to take a look around Elsie´s bedroom. 

 

Elsie´s bedroom was directly opposite the improvised questioning room. Although it was always meant to be only temporarily hers, the room had clearly been decorated to accommodate a young girl. The walls were plastered with posters of horses and pretty birds, there were dolls and stuffed animals on the unmade bed and flowery dresses lying over the rocking chair in the corner. It was chaotic and lovely. 

Cain walked around, searching for clues. He was careful not to touch anything, because he didn´t want to contaminate the crime scene this probably was. He really had to start carrying around plastic gloves for these situations. 

His phone rang, just as something caught his eye. On the desk by the window lay a necklace, glinting silver in the sunlight. Cain approached it to take a closer look. It was silver, the pendant a small asymmetric heart. He caught his breath, the phone had stopped ringing. 

Quickly he rushed across the hallway, where Sylvia was currently describing her impression of Elsie´s personality to the Detective Sergeant. 

-Excuse me- Cain breathed -I think I found something- His phone buzzed, alerting him of a received text. 

The DS looked up, mildly annoyed at his interruption -You did? – she asked. 

Cain nodded, then turned to Sylvia -May I borrow you necklace for a second? – 

 

The necklaces matched and Professor Lamar was arrested. He was taken to the nearest police station, Cain hitched a ride, once there he did not take long to confess: Sexual abuse of Elsie Louise Robbins. When she threatened to tell her grandfather, he got frightened and killed her, the corpse was hidden in the nearby Gully wood. The whole confession was laced with assurances that he loved her and never intended her any harm, Cain felt like throwing up. 

When the police swarmed out in search of the body some hours later, Cain pulled out his phone. He had to call Riff and tell him he was coming home tonight, he would arrive late at night but that was better that spending another night in the Lamar household. 

An unread message from Cleo blinked on his screen, he clicked it and froze.

-Which poison causes tingling and numbness in mouth, abdomen and limbs? -


End file.
